Reni Polus
Biographic Data
| ID | 6295339 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Reni Polus |
| GIVEN NAMES | Reni |
| FAMILY NAME | Polus |
| SIGNATURE | POLUS R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Otago |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8195-9798 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Peeling back the layers’: Power dynamics and saviour complex in South-South volunteer tourism
Caught in the maze: Exploration of the ‘tourist trap’ phenomenon
This research note explores the intricate nature of tourist traps, going beyond the prevalent negative stigma attached to them. While the term tourist trap is casually used, only a limited number of scholars have investigated the intricacies of this phenomenon, and there is a scarcity of empirical research on this topic. Using a Reflective Collaborative Autoethnography (RCA) approach, this research note presents a reflective analysis of the autho…
Reverse gaze’ in spiritual tourism: Fact or myth
The term 'reverse gaze' is used in tourism academia to describe the interaction between tourist photographers and local subjects, which challenges traditional power dynamics in tourism. However, further research is needed to explore this concept within the wider context of tourism. In this research note, I adopt an autoethnographic approach to provide a reflective analysis of the Ganga Aarti ritual in India. Specifically, I examine the nuances of…
Challenges and opportunities for sacred journeys: A media representation of the impact of Covid-19
Pilgrimage is a common phenomenon in all the major religions. Earlier studies showed that the pilgrimage sector has high resilience to crises. However, COVID-19 has affected and continues to have adverse impacts on pilgrimage tourism. Recognising the dearth of research addressing this developing crisis and its impact on pilgrimage tourism, this research note aims to explore the challenges and opportunities pilgrims face due to COVID-19. Hundred a…
Remember that time? ’: Introducing retrospective collaborative autoethnography
Autoethnography is a well-established methodological approach in research, including tourism studies. Despite the frequent application of autoethnography in research, some scholars have raised challenges in employing autoethnography such as individual bias, selective memory, change of participants’ attitudes over time, logistical challenges, conducting synchronous research, and influence by dominant researchers within the group. This Research Let…
What can online reviews reveal about Tourism Destination Image? A netnographic approach to a pilgrim destination in India
The purpose of this study is to examine the destination image of Tirumala Tirupati as one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India using three Tourism Destination Image (TDI) components namely cognitive, affective, and conative. Netnography was selected as a research method, where data were collected online via a Google Review website. A total of 925 online reviews posted between 2018 and 2022 were analysed using content analysis. Results of…
Conceptualizing the Changing Faces of Pilgrimage Through Contemporary Tourism
This paper aims to conceptualize the pilgrimage and tourism relationship in the contemporary world. As the boundaries between pilgrimage and tourism have become blurred, there is a need to find a more holistic way to understand the nuances of the pilgrimage-tourism relationship. This conceptual paper argues that pilgrimage offers a stage for rejuvenation in the contemporary era. In the 21st Century, the concept of pilgrimage travel has re-emerged…
Virtual tours as a solidarity tourism product
The potential of solidarity tourism products is underresearched. • Possibilities of virtual tours as solidarity tourism products. • Equality, empathy, and sensitivity for touristic solidarity
Challenging the Eurocentrism in volunteering
Volunteering practices have largely drawn on theories based on Eurocentric conceptualizations. The dominant Eurocentric models of volunteering, as a significant leisure experience, have served to marginalize other definitions and practices. Thus, this paper argues that, while the Eurocentric conceptualization provides a useful framework to understand volunteering in different cultural contexts, it is critical to embrace the complexities and nuanc…
A new framework: Non-Western perspectives on international volunteering
International volunteering has typically been conceived as a Western sociocultural phenomenon. Within this paper, we aim to apply a non-Western lens to the development of a conceptual framework, through which to consider an alternative perspective on international volunteering. We highlight how, increasingly, non-Western countries are a place that not only hosts international volunteers but also sends volunteers abroad. Using the notions of solid…
Virtual tours as a solidarity tourism product
The potential of solidarity tourism products is underresearched. • Possibilities of virtual tours as solidarity tourism products. • Equality, empathy, and sensitivity for touristic solidarity
Remember that time? ’: Introducing retrospective collaborative autoethnography
Autoethnography is a well-established methodological approach in research, including tourism studies. Despite the frequent application of autoethnography in research, some scholars have raised challenges in employing autoethnography such as individual bias, selective memory, change of participants’ attitudes over time, logistical challenges, conducting synchronous research, and influence by dominant researchers within the group. This Research Let…
A new framework: Non-Western perspectives on international volunteering
International volunteering has typically been conceived as a Western sociocultural phenomenon. Within this paper, we aim to apply a non-Western lens to the development of a conceptual framework, through which to consider an alternative perspective on international volunteering. We highlight how, increasingly, non-Western countries are a place that not only hosts international volunteers but also sends volunteers abroad. Using the notions of solid…
Caught in the maze: Exploration of the ‘tourist trap’ phenomenon
This research note explores the intricate nature of tourist traps, going beyond the prevalent negative stigma attached to them. While the term tourist trap is casually used, only a limited number of scholars have investigated the intricacies of this phenomenon, and there is a scarcity of empirical research on this topic. Using a Reflective Collaborative Autoethnography (RCA) approach, this research note presents a reflective analysis of the autho…
Challenges and opportunities for sacred journeys: A media representation of the impact of Covid-19
Pilgrimage is a common phenomenon in all the major religions. Earlier studies showed that the pilgrimage sector has high resilience to crises. However, COVID-19 has affected and continues to have adverse impacts on pilgrimage tourism. Recognising the dearth of research addressing this developing crisis and its impact on pilgrimage tourism, this research note aims to explore the challenges and opportunities pilgrims face due to COVID-19. Hundred a…
What can online reviews reveal about Tourism Destination Image? A netnographic approach to a pilgrim destination in India
The purpose of this study is to examine the destination image of Tirumala Tirupati as one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India using three Tourism Destination Image (TDI) components namely cognitive, affective, and conative. Netnography was selected as a research method, where data were collected online via a Google Review website. A total of 925 online reviews posted between 2018 and 2022 were analysed using content analysis. Results of…
Conceptualizing the Changing Faces of Pilgrimage Through Contemporary Tourism
This paper aims to conceptualize the pilgrimage and tourism relationship in the contemporary world. As the boundaries between pilgrimage and tourism have become blurred, there is a need to find a more holistic way to understand the nuances of the pilgrimage-tourism relationship. This conceptual paper argues that pilgrimage offers a stage for rejuvenation in the contemporary era. In the 21st Century, the concept of pilgrimage travel has re-emerged…
Virtual tours as a solidarity tourism product
The potential of solidarity tourism products is underresearched. • Possibilities of virtual tours as solidarity tourism products. • Equality, empathy, and sensitivity for touristic solidarity
Challenging the Eurocentrism in volunteering
Volunteering practices have largely drawn on theories based on Eurocentric conceptualizations. The dominant Eurocentric models of volunteering, as a significant leisure experience, have served to marginalize other definitions and practices. Thus, this paper argues that, while the Eurocentric conceptualization provides a useful framework to understand volunteering in different cultural contexts, it is critical to embrace the complexities and nuanc…
A new framework: Non-Western perspectives on international volunteering
International volunteering has typically been conceived as a Western sociocultural phenomenon. Within this paper, we aim to apply a non-Western lens to the development of a conceptual framework, through which to consider an alternative perspective on international volunteering. We highlight how, increasingly, non-Western countries are a place that not only hosts international volunteers but also sends volunteers abroad. Using the notions of solid…
What can online reviews reveal about Tourism Destination Image? A netnographic approach to a pilgrim destination in India
The purpose of this study is to examine the destination image of Tirumala Tirupati as one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India using three Tourism Destination Image (TDI) components namely cognitive, affective, and conative. Netnography was selected as a research method, where data were collected online via a Google Review website. A total of 925 online reviews posted between 2018 and 2022 were analysed using content analysis. Results of…
Challenges and opportunities for sacred journeys: A media representation of the impact of Covid-19
Pilgrimage is a common phenomenon in all the major religions. Earlier studies showed that the pilgrimage sector has high resilience to crises. However, COVID-19 has affected and continues to have adverse impacts on pilgrimage tourism. Recognising the dearth of research addressing this developing crisis and its impact on pilgrimage tourism, this research note aims to explore the challenges and opportunities pilgrims face due to COVID-19. Hundred a…
Remember that time? ’: Introducing retrospective collaborative autoethnography
Autoethnography is a well-established methodological approach in research, including tourism studies. Despite the frequent application of autoethnography in research, some scholars have raised challenges in employing autoethnography such as individual bias, selective memory, change of participants’ attitudes over time, logistical challenges, conducting synchronous research, and influence by dominant researchers within the group. This Research Let…
Caught in the maze: Exploration of the ‘tourist trap’ phenomenon
This research note explores the intricate nature of tourist traps, going beyond the prevalent negative stigma attached to them. While the term tourist trap is casually used, only a limited number of scholars have investigated the intricacies of this phenomenon, and there is a scarcity of empirical research on this topic. Using a Reflective Collaborative Autoethnography (RCA) approach, this research note presents a reflective analysis of the autho…
Reverse gaze’ in spiritual tourism: Fact or myth
The term 'reverse gaze' is used in tourism academia to describe the interaction between tourist photographers and local subjects, which challenges traditional power dynamics in tourism. However, further research is needed to explore this concept within the wider context of tourism. In this research note, I adopt an autoethnographic approach to provide a reflective analysis of the Ganga Aarti ritual in India. Specifically, I examine the nuances of…
Peeling back the layers’: Power dynamics and saviour complex in South-South volunteer tourism
Tourism (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research (6 works) · Archaeology (5 works) · Geography (5 works) · Religious Tourism and Spaces (5 works) · Social science (5 works) · Tourism, Volunteerism, and Development (5 works) · Epistemology (4 works) · Pilgrimage (4 works)